Don't underestimate the power of a good fridge. It'll keep your food safe and tasty if you treat it right.

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Having a healthy home means doing what you can to keep your family well and safe. One simple way to do that is to maintain and clean your refrigerator regularly — it will save energy and money and reduce your family's risk of food-borne illness.

Smart fridge maintenance involves keeping the refrigerator temperature in the recommended range, properly organizing your fridge food, and cleaning it up. Here’s how to get started.

The Right Refrigerator Temperature

Monitoring and maintaining your refrigerator temperature is one of the best ways to prevent food-borne illness, since keeping foods properly chilled can help prevent or slow the growth of microorganisms, like Salmonella and E. coli, that cause these illnesses. You should keep your refrigerator at or below 40ºF and your freezer at or below 0ºF. Consult the appliance manual to find out how to make these adjustments.

Since your refrigerator's efficiency can change over time, it is important to check your refrigerator temperature regularly. The best way to do this is to buy and use an appliance thermometer.

You can also help your refrigerator work at its best by positioning it in a relatively cool location, out of direct sunlight and away from heat sources, like the oven or a heat vent. This will help it run more efficiently, which can save energy and money.

Tips for Handling Fridge Food

Refrigerators allow us to keep fresh foods fresh longer, but just because a food is in the fridge doesn't mean you can keep it indefinitely. Below are some tips for keeping your fridge food safe:

Avoid crowding. Allow enough space between items so that air can circulate and keep foods at the proper temperature.

Read labels. Follow the directions on food packaging and be sure to promptly refrigerate all foods that require it. Discard any food that may have been mistakenly left out of the fridge for too long.

Throw out tainted foods. If food has visible mold on it, a foul odor, or other signs of spoilage — or if you just suspect it might have gone bad — discard it right away.

Separate high-risk foods. Keep the foods that are most likely to contaminate other foods — raw meat, poultry, and fish — in plastic bags, bowls, or pans on the lowest shelf of your refrigerator, where drips will not contaminate produce or any other foods.

Eat fridge foods promptly. The longer foods are stored in your refrigerator, the more likely microorganisms will grow on them. So regularly go through the contents of your fridge and throw out any foods that are past their prime. Follow these use-by guidelines; for foods that can be frozen, freeze them as soon as you get them home if you’re not sure you will eat them within these time frames:

Uncooked ground meat: 1 to 2 days

Poultry, fish, or shellfish: 1 to 2 days

Uncooked steak, veal, lamb, or pork: 3 to 5 days

Meat-based leftovers: 3 to 4 days

Ready-made foods, like deli meats and macaroni salad: 3 to 5 days

Uncooked eggs (in shell): 4 to 5 weeks

Mayonnaise (opened): 2 months

Watch the clock. Once out of the fridge, never let foods sit at room temperature for more than two hours — eat them or toss them.

The Best Way to Clean Your Refrigerator

Keep your refrigerator clean to keep food safe. This involves immediately wiping up any spills or leakages that occur in your refrigerator. Liquids that drip from the foods in your fridge can harbor bacteria and spread it to other foods.

In addition, plan to thoroughly clean your refrigerator once a month. Do this by taking items off each shelf and out of each drawer and wiping down the shelves and drawers. Then vacuum or sweep out the metal coils that are behind and underneath your refrigerator. If these coils become covered with dust and grime, your refrigerator will become less efficient.

With a little cleaning and maintenance, you can keep your refrigerator in prime condition.

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